Harbortown Market got a boost towards its planned January reopening with a grant from the Detroit Economic Growth Association's (DEGA) Jefferson Avenue Retail Readiness Program. Four other projects, including the Elevator Building, were also approved for a total of up to $239,700 in grants, which is expected to leverage an additional $250,000 in private investment.
Harbortown Market, located at 3472 East Jefferson Ave., has been closed since a June 2009 fire. The DEGA grant is being used towards the purchase of a "gatekeeper" system that will keep carts from wandering out of the parking lot, a new entryway as well as other interior improvements. "It will be the same layout with improvements in every corner of the store," says owner Tom George, who was determined to reopen the store he has operated for 22 years because he "enjoy(s) the business...I love it here and I have very interesting clientele."
The Elevator Building is located at 1938 Franklin St. in the East Riverfront area. The grant funds will go towards building out the space into a multi-tenant business incubator. Read more about the project
here.
The other projects funded include interior and exterior repairs to the Bosquet Building at 1386 East Jefferson and improvements to a neighboring parking lot as well as a lot located at 3333 East Jefferson that is owned by Nullis Secondus and is also utilized by the
Players Club.
The Jefferson Avenue Retail Readiness Program is funded by a grant to DEGA from the
Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. It provides financial incentives to improve properties along the Jefferson Avenue corridor from I-375 to McClellan Street. Property owners and tenants improving space for an identified commercial user can receive 50% matching grants to reimburse for the cost of interior and exterior improvements up to a maximum of $100,000 for buildings and $30,000 for parking lots. The Detroit Economic Growth Association is a non-profit economic development organization administered by the
Detroit Economic Growth Corporation.
Sources: DEGC and Tom George, Harbortown Market
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.